Overview of research of the Ecology Branch on the ecological consequences of habitat degradation due to altered environment, nonindigenous species, and atmospheric alterations. Includes links to staff and research projects.

Study of wildland fire history and fire ecology such as plants in the Sierra Nevada forests, California shrublands, the Mojave, and Sonoran deserts to develop management techniques that will reduce hazards.

Plan for an upcoming study, at the microbiological scale, of the benthic communities (including corals) that reside in and around mid-Atlantic canyons, which are located at the edge of the continental shelf.

Homepage of the Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) initiative programs supporting actions to remedy contaminations associated with hard rock mining. Includes data from the Upper Animas River and Boulder River, bibliography of reports, and pictures.

They're abundant in this area, but hard to count reliably. We outline a procedure for estimating the population sizes so that we can determine whether they're increasing or dwindling. We must both listen for their calls and visually confirm them.

Wildlife you see in a national park or other reserved area don't know about the park boundary. Bobcat, martens, mink, and moose need different types of living space and habitat. Development outside the park affects their ability to inhabit the park.

Site for a USGS project under the U.S. Global Change Research Program for a national assessment of the impacts of climate variability and change on resources with links to impacts in Alaska, western U.S., public lands, and water resources.

Small wetlands in this large area have hosted migratory birds for a long time, but with changes in agricultural practice and regional climate those habitats may not remain hospitable to the wild populations.

The bibliography provides citations pertinent to the effects of fire and its prescribed use on the ecosystems and species of Wisconsin and the upper Midwest. Three separate subject indexes are provided: general, species, and geographic location.

Study of the processes by which the conversion occurred of the Palouse bioregion from perennial native grass, shrub, and forest vegetation to agriculture and the interactions between human cultures and environment.

What causes changes in the hydrology, the ecology and the water quality of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and the San Francisco Bay estuary? These studies help state and local agencies manage resources well.

Combining genetic data with current and predicted climate scenarios, we are modeling the predicted future distributions of wildlife populations in the Arctic and identifying key environmental variables that determine important animal habitat.

Three themes of ongoing research: forecasting polar bear and walrus population response to changing marine ecosystems; measuring wildlife population changes in the Arctic coastal plain, and wildlife communities in the boreal-Arctic transition zone.

Detailed publication on the classification system for an inventory of wetlands and deepwater habitats of the United States used to describe ecological taxa and arrange them in a system useful to resource managers.

Overview of interdisciplinary research studies in Glacier National Park to understand how this mountain wilderness responds to present climatic variability and other external stressors, such as air pollution, and links to detailed reports.

Changes in both the ocean and coastal ecosystems may have negative effects on sea otter populations in the coastal Northwest and Alaska. A study underway will examine these factors and the overall health of sea otter populations.

Declines in fish and wildlife populations, water-quality issues, and changes in coastal habitats have prompted this USGS study of the region's nearshore life and environment. Includes links to data from published reports.

Coverage of the Coastal Prairie Ecology Research (CPER) Team, National Wetlands Research Center, providing scientific information to aid the conservation, management, and restoration of ecosystems in the greater coastal prairie region.

Describes research to assess the effectiveness of the current system and distribution of marine reserves and protected areas in the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico for conserving reef ecosystems and resources.

The Crater Lake Data Clearinghouse website is a gateway to information and data on Crater Lake with links to data downloads of bathymetry, maps and imagery, a fly-by movie, photos, and information on geology, maps, history, and biota.

Satellite images of geographic areas of interest, cities, deserts, glaciers, geologic features, disaster areas, water bodies, and wildlife linked with articles, maps, and other images such as AVHRR, photographs, and special project images.

Comparison of water in two adjacent watersheds before and after implementing a brush management strategy in one of the watersheds helps us see what water resource characteristics are sensitive to brush management and how.

Information from climate model forecasts, projections of future flows, paleoclimatic indicators, timing of snowmelt, airborne dust, and the effects on vegetation of troublesome pest species indicate the nature and severity of problems looming.

Study of the effects of the practice of cycling municipal nutrient-enriched wastewater from holding ponds through forested wetlands. Studies were in the Cypiere Perdue Swamp, Louisiana, and the Drummond Bog, Wisconsin.

The USGS reviews and prepares technical comments on environmental impact statements and establishes policies to implement the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Site has links to environmental laws and regulations including NEPA.

Sixty-five sampling sites, selected by a statistical design to represent lengths of perennial streams in North Dakota, were chosen to be sampled for fish and aquatic insects (macroinvertebrates) to establish unbiased baseline data.

Explains how we assessed the quality of a wetland as indicated by its plant species composition and abundance for marsh and swamp sites, to summarize the effectiveness of restoration projects in Louisiana.

Home page of the Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Corvallis, providing research and technical support for ecosystem management in the western U.S. Links to projects, field stations, fact sheets, partnerships, and publications.

Homepage of the Fort Collins Science Center in Colorado with links to programs in ecological research programs, staff directory, products library, news and events, and research features and spotlights.

Papers from Forum on Wildlife Telemetry, Snowmass Village, CO, 1997 about innovations in transmitting and receiving systems, attachment techniques, collection of data using telemetry, data processing and analysis. Available as *.zip file to download.

Photographic survey of the impacts of Hurricane Katrina on the barrier islands, barrier shoreline, and the Mississippi River Delta along the Louisiana coastline. Primary focus is on the ecosystems such as fish, rookeries, and seagrass beds.

Recent physical changes over time, including trends toward earlier snowmelt runoff, decreasing river ice, and increasing spring water temperatures, may affect salmon populations; we want to know how important these effects are.

Description of research program for immediate and long-term management of grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis) inhabiting the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Includes links to reports in PDF format and cooperating organizations.

Links to research projects that will improve the ability to detect, monitor, and predict the effects of invasive species, including exotic animals, on native ecosystems of the Pacific Southwest (California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona).

Will salt marshes survive if sea level rises quickly? The answer depends on whether the areas surrounding them can allow salt marsh fauna and flora to migrate there. Local topography, both natural and manmade, is the main factor limiting this migration.

Report prepared with NASA on the importance of a historical context for understanding ongoing changes in land cover and land use in North America and the effect on the environment. Site contains primarily contents of a book edited by T.D. Sisk.

Primary homepage for the National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program studying water quality in river, aquifer and coastal water basins throughout the nation. Links to reports, data, models, maps and national synthesis studies.

This study reconstructs past interactions among ecosystem factors, native species, and human land use in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem to provide a context for future management to sustain both ecological and human communities.

Retrieval system to locate websites on publications and compilations on biological resources. Searches can be made by type, such as checklists, distribution, and regional overviews, by taxon, and by geography, including global, U.S., and Canada.

Homepage for the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, Jamestown, ND, with links to announcements, science prgorams, biological resources finder, publications search option, contacts, and answers to common questions about the Center

Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NRMSC) based at Bozeman, Montana conducts research to help natural resources management in the Northern Rocky Mountains with field stations at West Glacier and Missoula. Links to staff, programs, and partners.

Geographical isolation of the Hawaiian Islands has resulted in the evolution of endemic species unique in the world. Research at the Center aims at preventing the further extinction of these species. Links to projects, publications and other data.

Report on effects of the increase of atmospheric carbon dioxide on plants and animals, especially birds, in the Great Plains including effects of carbon dioxide fertilization, ultraviolet radiation, climate change, and harmful effects on bird habitats.

Research results (publications, photographs, maps) on ecological processes within the Mojave Desert Ecosystem to provide land managers with scientific understanding and tools needed to conserve and restore threatened desert landscapes.

Research projects intended to create regional and national data that conform to conditions predicted by general circulation models, so that land and wildlife managers can understand the likely consequences of climatic changes in their areas of study.

Changes in the channel of the river to support commercial use have affected river-corridor habitats and diminished populations of native fish and wildlife; this study seeks to understand those changes to help local resource managers.

Portal of the South Florida Information Access (SOFIA) system providing multiple links to projects, products, information, and data for research, decision-making, and resource management of the South Florida ecosystem restoration effort.

A pictorial overview for general audiences of key landscapes and ecosystems in South Florida; includes extensive references and links to past and current research activities relating to the South Florida ecosystem restoration effort.

Description of the Status and Trends program, which monitors the abundance, distribution, productivity, and health of the Nation's living resources, detecting and evaluating changes in these variables over time.

Combined with supporting research in reproductive physiology, identification of spawning habitat, and early life history this result provides new understanding of environmental factors that might affect reproduction of this endangered species.

Explains 16 distinct types of scientific information that are needed to understand climate change, including the specific parameters measured, why they are needed, who measures them, and the type and amount of information that are not yet available.

Upcoming interagency study to assess status of ecological conditions, their relationships with contaminants and nutrients, anthropogenic factors affecting these, and develop models that may predict these ecological conditions.

Palmyra Atoll in the tropical Pacific is a "living laboratory" for multi-disciplinary research on coral reef ecosystems, insular terrestrial ecosystems, climate change, and the lingering effects of Cold War nuclear testing.

This report serves as an environmental review and framework for developing USGS programs in the south Florida ecosystem, especially the Everglades and its watershed, and stresses the critical role of water in natural and human environment.

Summary of a circular on USGS environmental research and Chesapeake Bay with links to full document. Includes discussion of the problems of the estuary, restoration efforts, water quality, and effects on ecosystem.

Long-term studies to better understand the effects of the eruption and the role of volcanism in structuring ecosystems in the Aleutian Islands, a volcano-dominated region with high natural resource values.

This endangered species prefers native trees in large, continuous areas of riparian habitat. Armed with this information, resource managers may identify and preserve areas favorable to this population.

Over 30 years of substantial warming, the timing of life cycle events in maize here has changed, threatening the crop yield by exposing the plant at sensitive phases in its life cycle to increased heat and drought, and lowering the weight of its grains.

Summarizes studies that took place in this ecoregion. Some studies occurred in areas without post-fire management, and others in moderately or intensively managed areas. Some of the research also occurred immediately after a wildfire, and other work occur

Links to research at the field stations of the Western Ecological Research Center with direct links to web pages for wildlife videos, satellite telemetry, fire ecology, invasive species, herpetology field guide, and coastal ecosystems.

Links to highlights, news releases, and fact sheets about Western Ecological Research Center (WERC) research and activities; brief summaries of published research; you can see and listen online as WERC scientists discuss their studies.

Thematic descriptions of research to meet the varied needs of the fire management community and to understand the role of fire in the landscape including fire management support, studies of postfire effects, and fire history and ecology.